Fragile Hearts
by Chihuahua
Summary: A short, angsty piece which is difficult to summarise. Read on...


From: Chihuahua

Date: 8th November 1999

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the JQ characters. They belong to HB. Any unrelated characters belong to me.

Category: JJ-HR, Angst, F

Rating: PG-13

FRAGILE HEARTS

"Jonny, NO!" screamed Jessie, as Jonny hurled himself in front of her, blocking the course of the speeding bullet. A second later, a pained moan escaped his lips as he crashed onto the concrete floor. The gun man raised his pistol again, aiming for Jessie again. Jessie, with sudden agility, reached down, grabbed Jonny's pistol, took a careless aim at the man and squeezed the trigger.

The man screamed and released his last breath as Jessie emptied the barrel into him. His warm blood sprayed all around the place in little droplets, leaving red stains on Jessie's face and Jonny's now still form.

"Jonny, hold on!" Jessie screamed, as she ran to his side. She ripped off the sleeve of her coat and held it firmly against his wound. She immediately felt his warm blood gushing from the wound..

"Jess….," his voice was barely a whisper. "I love you," was all he could mouth out before falling into unconsciousness.

"Jonny, hold on!" Jessie shouted. She grabbed her handbag, plunged her hand in and pulled out a tiny transmitter. "Hadji, where are you god damnit?" she yelled through the transmitter.

"I'm here, Jessie, What happened?" came Hadji's calm voice. 

"Just call an ambulance. Jonny's been shot!"

Hadji was silent for a moment. "Okay, calm down. Help is on the way."

"Calm down?" Jessie screamed, disbelievingly. "Are you mad? Your own brother is drowning in his own blood here and you are asking me to calm down!" Jessie threw the transmitter onto the ground and stamped on it furiously.

Ten minutes later, the faint siren of an ambulance could be heard. It seemed like eternity to Jessie before the ambulance arrived and strapped Jonny to a stretcher and sent him to the nearest hospital.

**********************************************************************************

The lights in the hospital were unusually bright, almost blinding. Jessie sat on an uncomfortable chair, in the waiting room. Nurses rushed around her for about an hour or so. She rested her head on her knees as a flood of memories drowned her. It was so clear, so real. It almost seemed like she was in it all over again.

**********************************************************************************

"Hey, Jess. Got a light?" Jonny asked, sticking a cigarette into his mouth. He stuffed the box into his pocket.

Jessie stared at him for a moment. Jonny only smoked when he felt tense. It was just a nervous habit. Why would he be feeling tense today. All they had to do was collect Doctor Quest's latest invention from his friend. At least, his so called friend. "Yeah." Jessie handed him a lighter and watched as he lit the cigarette and puffed out a huge cloud of foul smelling smoke.

"Want one?" offered Jonny, pulling the box out from his pocket and offering it to Jessie. Jessie shook her head no.

"What time is Doctor Quest's friend supposed to arrive?" asked Jessie.

"About now I guess." Jonny puffed at his cigarette and sprinkled the ashes around him. He patted a pistol which Race had handed to him before he left the house. "Just in case," Race had said.

"You don't think we'll need that, do you?" asked Jessie. She felt slightly frightened as her father would only give a pistol to someone if he suspected any danger.

Suddenly, a limousine pulled into the warehouse. As Jonny was reaching out for the metal suitcase that Doctor Morris handed him, one of the doctor's bodyguards pulled out a hand gun.

"What's the meaning of this, Doctor Morris?" asked Jonny, looking warily at the gun that was aimed at him.

"Your father's prototype will prove useful in my plans for world domination. But the old fool doesn't know what he has created and what power's it possesses." Doctor Morris's expression was sneering.

Jonny suddenly lashed out with a kick at the older man and grabbed the suitcase. As the bodyguard fired at him, he used the metal suitcase as a shield. His father had created the suitcase to store anything secret that he considered precious. Then, he picked up a metal rod and swung it at the bodyguard, clobbering him at the head.

Meanwhile, Jessie was wrestling with another man. The man was bigger and stronger but hours of karate lessons from her father had made Jessie agile and quick. Her well times and aimed kicks and punches managed to catch the man in various weaker areas.

"Jess, watch out!" yelled Jonny as a man swung a rod at her. Jessie turned just in time to see the rod hit her in the gut. Jessie was thrown aside and the other man pulled out a pistol. With a nasty grin, he aimed and squeezed the trigger. A deafening blast echoed throughout the deserted warehouse.

Jessie could not do anything but stare at the advancing bullet, paralysed with fear. Suddenly, she saw a figure leaping in between her and the bullet. The next thing she knew, she was pulling out Jonny's pistol and emptying it into the man.

After that, everything was a blur. She remembered something about Jonny saying something about him loving her.

**********************************************************************************

"Mrs. Quest?" enquired a doctor.

Jessie simply nodded, numb with fear of what she would hear.

"We couldn't save him." The doctor's statement was so clear and distinct, yet it swirled in Jessie's head. Every word did not make any sense. How could Jonny be dead?

"What?" Jessie's tone sounded accusing.

"The bullet was embedded to deep in and he had suffered major tissue damage around the wound. And he had lost a lot of blood," said the doctor, gently.

"He was so young!" said Jessie, more to herself than the doctor. She could picture him so clearly, a cap on his tousled blond hair, his blue eyes contrasting against his tan skin.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Quest. We tried." The doctor hurried away, hugging his clipboard tightly.

Suddenly, the doors were flung open as Benton, Race and Hadji ran into the stuffy corridor.

"How is he?" asked Benton.

Jessie just simply nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak.

Benton collapsed to his knees, staring blankly, tears welling up in his old but intelligent eyes. Then, he let out a low moan, so heart broken that it sounded almost inhuman.

"Are you sure, Ponchita?" asked Race, hugging his daughter tightly. He felt Jessie nod her head and felt wet spots soaking into his shirt as she cried again.

Hadji who had been silent all this while, helped Benton onto a chair. Then, he ran off to the vending machine and brought back four cups of hot coffee. He handed each of them a cup and he sipped his. He didn't care that the coffee tasted like sewage. It calmed him down and that was all that mattered.

Benton suddenly let out a bellow of heartache and rage and flung his cup against the opposite wall, sending drops of the scalding liquid all over the place. He started screaming curses in seven different languages, kicking and punching at the wall. In the end, he had to be sedated. Even after a huge dose of sedative had been administered, Benton was still difficult to handle.

Race made arrangements on how Jonny's body would be dealt and he drove them all home. The journey was silent, so silent that it felt suffocating. 

**********************************************************************************

THAT NIGHT

Jessie tossed and turned. She rested an arm on where Jonny used to sleep. She could still feel his presence. She felt so safe. She imagined herself playing with his blond curls and giggled when he pushed her hand away impatiently. 

Then the illusion vanished. She was still in her bed but Jonny wasn't. He wasn't there to smack her hand away. He wasn't there to protect her, reassure her. She was alone!. Alone, the thought hit her hard in the stomach.

"I can't take this anymore!" she said. She reached into her bedside table's drawer and pulled out a letter opener. "I'm sorry Jonny, but I can't live without you!" Jessie slit her wrist with the letter opener. She watched as her warm blood oozed from the incision. She smiled weakly as she slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

**********************************************************************************

Race slowly plodded up the stairs. His heart was weary and he was almost in despair. Benton had been silent all day, blaming himself for the tragedy. Hadji had spent the rest of the day meditating, trying to reach Jonny. Jessie had not eaten at all. She looked much older than she was.

He decided to pop in his daughter's room and check on her. His daughter's and son-in-law's room, he corrected himself. But he is gone!

"Hey, ponchita. Are you ok……..?" Race couldn't finish his last sentence. His eyes were glued on the still figure of his daughter on the bed. The sheets were soaked with blood. Race could see everything clearly even though it was dark. He ran to his daughter, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and bound her wrist tightly. Then, he scooped her up and ran out of the room, yelling at the top of his voice.

A minute later, Benton was behind the driver's seat with Hadji next to him. Race was cradling his daughter's body in the back seat. Benton sped towards the hospital. In fifteen minutes, they were at the hospital. Race cradled Jessie's barely alive form safely and rushed her to the emergency room.

**********************************************************************************

"How's she, doc?" asked Race. His face was creased with worry.

"I don't know, Mr. Bannon. Her condition is pretty unstable and we're keeping her in the ICU," replied the doctor. He scribbled something down in his clipboard.

"What do you mean you don't know?" stormed Race. "You are the doctor, right?"

"What I mean is I'm not sure that she'll pull through. She lost a lot of blood. Right now, she is just hanging between life and death." The doctors voice was soothing and calm. He hurried away and to see to his other patients.

"Race, if you like, I can try to reach Jessie before she crosses over." Hadji who had been silent all this while suddenly spoke.

"I'll try anything once. Actually, this is your second time, right?"

Hadji just nodded. Then, he sat down on the floor in a lotus position. He closed his eyes and fell into a trance. After a few minutes, Hadji opened his eyes and breathed heavily.

"Did you reach her?" asked Race.

"Yes," said Hadji.

Race smiled broadly. He believed his daughter would now have a chance.

"But she shut me out. She's determined to join Jonny."

Race fell back onto a chair. Benton, sensing the other man's desperation patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Race. Jessie's strong. She'll pull through." Benton words were soothing to calm the other man down. 

**********************************************************************************

"Jessie, wake up, Jessie," a voice called Jessie.

Jessie rose. "Jonny?"

"Yeah it's me." Jonny replied.

"But how can that be? You are…," Jessie said.

"Dead," Jonny finished for her. "Yeah, I know I am. Death isn't easy to forget." His voice was bitter.

"I'm sorry, Jon. If I had only moved, this wouldn't have happened," Jessie said, her voice tearful.

"It's not your fault, Jess." Jonny suddenly emerged from the shadows. He pulled her close and hugged her.

"How can you touch me?" asked Jessie. 

"I'm now talking to your mind. Don't give up, Jess. It's not your time yet!"

"But I can't live without you. I need you." Jessie stared at him.

"I love you too and I need you but there are other's who love you just as much. I'll show you a few first," said Jonny, holding her hand.

"Okay."

Jonny led her out of her room and into the waiting area. She saw her father, Benton and Hadji, all sitting down and praying silently.

"Dad! I've never seen him like this," said Jessie. She let out a sudden sob.

"And there's my father too. You know he treats you like his own daughter. And Hadji, our best friend. And in Peru right now, boarding a plane is your mom," said Jonny. He waved an arm and suddenly, they were in an airport in Peru. Jessie saw her mother running to board a plane to Maine. "They need you more than I do, Jess."

"I understand. But, I still want to live with you," Jessie sobbed.

"I'll always be with you. But you must go back. For the sake of your parents, my father, Hadji and our baby," said Jonny. He smiled.

"Our baby?" squeaked Jessie. "I'm pregnant?"

"Yes. Junior in there is three weeks old."

"How did you know?" asked Jessie. "Even I'm not sure."

"I can see the future, Jess. And you'll be a great mom." He smiled broadly at her and kissed her on the cheek.

"How did you know where to find me, Jon?"

"I saw you about to cross over and came to look for you. I guessed you would be in the hospital," said Jonny. "Now, it's time for you to go back."

"Okay, Jon. But promise me one thing?" Jessie asked.

"Anything for you," said Jonny and he kissed her on the forehead this time.

"Will you wait for me? I mean, until I join you in wherever you are." Jessie looked at him hopefully.

"Yes. But you can't wait for me. But I'll be waiting for you. It'll be a long wait but nevermind." Jonny smiled one last time and kissed her on the lips. Then, he disappeared.

**********************************************************************************

Race was holding Jessie's hand when he suddenly felt her grip tighten.

"Daddy!" she screamed as she sat up suddenly.

"Jessie! You're awake!" Race whooped for joy. His yells brought Benton, Hadji and a doctor into the room.

"I've never seen anything like this before," muttered the doctor as he started checking Jessie's vital signs. "I though we already lost her."

"Life isn't always as it seems," said Hadji in a sing-song voice.

"I have to agree with you this time, Hadj," said Race. Suddenly, he dissolved into relieved sobs.

"Jessie, why did you suddenly decide to come back?" asked Benton. "You shut Hadji out."

"Jonny came to me. He explained a whole lot of things to me. I'm sorry to have caused all this trouble," said Jessie. She looked apologetically at everyone.

"No need to apologise, Jessie," said Benton.

"Oh yeah, I'm pregnant everyone!" announced Jessie, happily.

"That's great. I'm finally gonna be a grandpa!" Race said, squeezing her hands tightly.

The doctor left the family to be alone. He didn't want to intrude.

"I don't know what that kid did, but I'm sure glad he did it!" exclaimed Race. He uttered a silent prayer to Jonny.

**********************************************************************************

Jonny looked down upon his family from where he now resided. He smiled and bade them goodbye.

"You sure you want to wait for that girl of yours, soney?" asked an old man.

"Yeah."

"Well, suit yourself. I'm just about to join Jessica and Gillian here for a swim." The old man gestured towards two beautiful young women. "Want to join us?"

Heaven must be paradise, thought Jonny. "No, I'll pass. I have to keep my word."

THE END

Comments anyone? Send them to me at wenxina@hotmail.com


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